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The purpose of this paper is to identify how industrial robotics fits into lean manufacturing systems. This paper presents results from case studies where Swedish and Japanese manufacturing industries have been compared in order to identify differences on how advanced manufacturing technologies and industrial robotics are utilized.

The research has been conducted via case studies where researchers from academia have worked together with industrial companies. During the case studies, the results of interviews, observations and data collection in the form of performance measures and historical production data have been analyzed.

This paper highlights some of the differences between how Swedish and Japanese companies work with industrial robotics. It also proposes some key areas where development could lead to better integration of industrial robotics into lean manufacturing systems.

This research has been performed with the intention of identifying how manufacturing industries could increase their competitiveness through industrial robot automation. The companies involved in the research project have received feedback on their automation solutions. The overall goal is to create a guideline for how to design industrial robotic work cells that can easily be integrated into lean manufacturing systems. This research area is important in order to increase competitiveness in industry. It is thus of value for both industry and the scientific community.

Organizations are continually improving their practices to improve operational performance. They already employ Lean Manufacturing techniques (LM) to reduce unnecessary waste. Industry 4.0 techniques enhance operational performance in association with LM. Despite the proven benefits of LM principles and the advancements offered by Industry 4.0 technologies, many organizations struggle to integrate these approaches effectively. This research paper explores how LM principles can be combined with Industry 4.0 technologies to provide valuable guidance for businesses looking to adopt lean automation strategies.

A systematic literature review on LM and Industry 4.0 was done to investigate the possible technical integration of both methods. Ninety-two articles are extracted systematically from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. This study states a systematic literature review, including quantitative analysis of bibliographic networks and cluster analysis, to identify emergent ideas and their further implementation.

The research findings highlight the positive impact of integrating lean production with Industry 4.0 techniques, benefiting organizations in achieving their goals. A lean automation integration framework is proposed based on the literature review and the findings.

This study provides industry administrators and practitioners valuable guidance for enhancing organizational productivity. These implications can provide businesses with competitive advantages, enhance customer satisfaction, and enable them to adapt to the dynamic demands of the contemporary business environment.

This literature review study has substantially contributed to the technological integration of lean and Industry 4.0. The work has also identified potential emerging areas that warrant further research.

The purpose is two-fold: (1) to explore the interactions of robotic systems and lean construction in the context of offsite construction (OC) that were addressed in the literature published between 2008 and 2019 and (2) to identify the gaps in such interactions while discussing how addressing those gaps can benefit not only OC but the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry as a whole.

First, a systematic literature review (SLR) identified journal papers addressing the interactions of automation and lean in OC. Then, the researchers focused the analysis on the under-researched subtopic of robotic systems. The focused analysis includes discussing the interactions identified in the SLR through a matrix of interactions and utilizing literature beyond the previously identified articles for future research directions on robotic systems and lean construction in OC.

The study found 35 journal papers that addressed automation and lean in the context of OC. Most of the identified literature focused on interactions of BIM and lean construction, while only nine focused on the interactions of robotic systems and lean construction. Identified literature related to robotic systems mainly addressed robots and automated equipment. Additional interactions were identified in the realm of wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles/automated guided vehicles and digital fabrication/computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

This is one of the first studies dedicated to exploring the interactions of robotic systems and lean construction in OC. Also, it proposes a categorization for construction automation and a matrix of interactions between construction automation and lean construction.

The purpose of this systematic review is to critically analyze pharmaceutical industry case studies on the implementation of Lean 4.0 methodologies to synthesize key lessons, benefits and best practices. The goal is to inform decisions and guide investments in related technologies for enhancing quality, compliance, efficiency and responsiveness across production and supply chain processes.

The article utilized a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology following five phases: formulating research questions, locating relevant articles, selecting and evaluating articles, analyzing and synthesizing findings and reporting results. The SLR aimed to critically analyze pharmaceutical industry case studies on Lean 4.0 implementation to synthesize key lessons, benefits and best practices.

Key findings reveal recurrent efficiency gains, obstacles around legacy system integration and data governance as well as necessary operator training investments alongside technological upgrades. On average, quality assurance reliability improved by over 50%, while inventory waste declined by 57% based on quantified metrics across documented initiatives synthesizing robotics, sensors and analytics.

As a comprehensive literature review, findings depend on available documented implementations within the search period rather than direct case evaluations. Reporting bias may also skew toward more successful accounts.

Synthesized implementation patterns, performance outcomes and concealed pitfalls provide pharmaceutical leaders with an evidence-based reference guide aiding adoption strategy development, resource planning and workforce transitioning crucial for Lean 4.0 assimilation.

This systematic assessment of pharmaceutical Lean 4.0 adoption offers an unprecedented perspective into the real-world issues, dependencies and modifications necessary for successful integration, absent from conceptual projections or isolated case studies alone until now.

This paper aims to analyse the current state of research to identify the link between Lean Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies to map out different research themes, to uncover research gaps and propose key recommendations for future research, including lessons to be learnt from the integration of lean and I4.0.

A systematic literature review (SLR) is conducted to thematically analyse and synthesise existing literature on Lean Manufacturing–I4.0 integration. The review analysed 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

In total, five main research themes were identified, and a thematic map was created to explore the following: the relationship between Lean Manufacturing and I4.0; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 implication on performance; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 framework; Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 integration with other methodologies; and application of I4.0 technologies in Lean Manufacturing. Furthermore, various gaps in the literature were identified, and key recommendations for future directions were proposed.

The integration of Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 will eventually bring many benefits and offers superior and long-term competitive advantages. This research reveals the need for more analysis to thoroughly examine how this can be achieved in real life and promote operational changes that ensure enterprises run more sustainably.

The development of Lean Manufacturing and I4.0 integration is still in its infancy, with most articles in this field published in the past two years. The five main research themes identified through thematic synthesis are provided in the original contribution. This provides scholars better insight into the existing literature related to Lean Manufacturing and I4.0, further contributing to defining clear topics for future research opportunities. It also has important implications for industrialists, who can develop more profound and richer knowledge than Lean and I4.0, which would, in turn, help them develop more effective deployment strategies and have a positive commercial impact.

This article adopts an evolutionary perspective to analyse the similarities and the possibility of converging various types of production systems and in particular the lean production model and the Volvo production system. The evolution of the Toyota production system is studied from the point of view of assembly design, work organization and automation. Then the evolution of the Swedish model of production and its influence on the lean model is considered. Subsequently, the question of similarities and differences between the systems is studied in light of unique aspects of the social and cultural contexts where the production systems have been developed.

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework of the implementation of the contact points (CPs) between Lean Six Sigma practices and Industry 4.0 technologies.

A systematic literature review was carried out based on two samples. A first sample containing 78 articles was analyzed through bibliometric indicators. After that, a second sample of 33 articles was analyzed in-depth according to research questions.

The conceptual framework involves 13 CPs between Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices and I4.0 technologies (what), going through the technical requirements needed (how), categorized as information technology (IT), automation and competence requirements, to finally present the main results reported in the literature (why).

This paper presents an innovative perspective of interactions between digital technologies and LSS practices, expanding knowledge about Digital LSS. Such perspective gives emphasis to the importance of technical requirements, such as communication and connectivity protocols, network topology, machine-to-machine communication (M2M), human–machine interfaces (HMI), as well as analytical and digital skills.

The managerial implications regarding the digitalization of LSS practices address the investments required for the acquisition and maintenance of cyber-physical systems (CPS). Moreover, there is a need for the development of skills so that operators can successfully use the new technologies in a context of continuous improvement.

This paper presents a conceptual framework covering 13 CPs between LSS practices and Industry 4.0 technologies, the technical requirements and the expected results. It is hoped that this framework can assist future research and operational excellence projects towards digitalization.

The objective of this research is twofold. First, we aim at identifying the pairwise relationships between Lean Production (LP) practices and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. Second, based on these results, we propose a framework for Lean Automation (LA) implementation, in which I4.0 technologies are integrated into LP practices.

To achieve that, a cross-sector survey was performed with 147 manufacturers that are undergoing a LP implementation aided by novel information and communication technologies from I4.0. Multivariate data analysis was applied in order to underpin the proposed framework for LA.

Findings indicate that I4.0 technologies are positively correlated with LP practices, providing evidence to bear the proposition of a LA framework that can potentially overcome traditional barriers and challenges of a LP implementation.

As previous studies have approached LA implementation from a narrow perspective or including a limited set of LP practices and I4.0 technologies, the proposition of an integrated framework unfolds a wider range of synergistic implementations that may corroborate to a holistic approach for continuous improvement in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era.

Industry 4.0 implies that global challenges exist within the manufacturing sector. Both theoretical and empirical research has been developed to support these transformations and assist companies in the process of changing. The purpose of this paper is to gather previous articles through an updated review and defines a research agenda for future investigation based on the most recent studies published in the field.

Key articles on the subject are analysed. The articles were published in 39 journals from which 107 papers dating from 2005 to 2018 have been selected.

The main findings imply the definition of a research agenda where: a common terminology should be created; the levels of implementation of Industry 4.0 should be defined; the stages of the development of Industry 4.0 should be identified; a lean approach for this industry is defined and the implications of Industry 4.0 in either a sustainable or circular economy should be understood; the consequences of human resources should be analysed; and the effects of the smart factory in the organisation are the areas identified and studied in the mentioned research agenda.

This review has some limitations. First, a number of grey literature, such as reports from non-governmental organisations and front-line practitioners’ reflections, were not included. Second, only research studies in English and Spanish were reviewed.

This review helps practitioners in their implementation of Industry 4.0. Moreover, the identified future research areas may help to define priorities in this implementation.

After examining previous research, this paper proposes a research agenda covering issues about Industry 4.0. This research agenda should guide future investigations in the smart industry.

Over the past few decades, lean manufacturing has focussed on being customer-centred and now Lean 4.0 technologies have made it possible for manufacturers to have a deeper view of waste reduction. Technologies such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence, three-dimensional printing, robotics, real-time data, cloud computing, predictive analytics and augmented reality, are helpful to achieve Lean 4.0. This study aims to develop the conceptual understanding of Lean 4.0, related tools and linkage with Industry 4.0. Further, it provides the strategies for implementing Lean 4.0, developing lean culture and highlights the Lean 4.0 application in the manufacturing context.

This study relates to Lean 4.0 and its technologies. Prominent research is identified through Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar and studied as per the objective of this study. This lean revolution provides customers desire for personalisation, connectedness, high-quality and valuable products. Lean 4.0 provides valuable information on the value chain and production process. This revolution has significantly impacted refining production processes for a greater level of adaptability and cost reduction.

This paper is brief about Lean 4.0 and its capabilities for the reduction of waste. The authors discussed different tools used in Lean 4.0 and its relationship with Industry 4.0. The classical strategies and progressive features of Lean 4.0 for overall enhancing the manufacturing sphere are discussed diagrammatically. Finally, it identified and discussed 14 significant applications of Lean 4.0 for manufacturing industries.

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of Lean 4.0 and related tools and strategies that help the upcoming manufacturing industries.